A Steelers Depot daily segment. A quick hit of some Pittsburgh Steelers and Steelers-related stories that may not require a complete and dedicated article but nuggets worth mentioning and passing on to you guys. The same as our recent Depot Daily, but now late at night to better capture the news of the day.
Your Depot After Dark for Oct. 24.
Steelers Playoff Odds
For what it’s worth, and the answer is likely “not much,” the Pittsburgh Steelers finally have over 50 percent odds of making the playoffs. Per ESPN analytics, the Steelers come in at 50.9 percent following their Week Seven win over the Los Angeles Rams that pushed them to 4-2 on the season.
Their odds of winning the AFC North, however, remain low. Despite being right behind the Baltimore Ravens and ahead of the Cleveland Browns due to a tiebreaker, the Steelers have just a 14.5 percent chance of winning the division. The Ravens are overwhelming favorites at 67.1 percent, despite Pittsburgh being 2-0 in the North with wins over both teams ahead of them in ESPN’s projections.
Week’s Best Run-Success Rate
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ running game was really strong against the Rams. While they were still held under 100 yards, they had the highest run-success rate of any team this week, coming in at 56 percent. Rush success is measured by the percentage of yards gained on a play relative to the yards needed for a first down/conversion, making it different than say, yards per carry.
That number was aided by their three red zone rushing touchdowns, the Steelers’ first three ground-game scores of 2023. Hopefully a sign for things to come, just as it was out of the bye in 2022.
Aaron Donald’s Wife Upset At Refs
Erica Donald, wife of Rams star DT Aaron Donald, took to Twitter Monday night to complain about the officiating. While that may have been directed at some of the questionable calls in the MNF game between the Minnesota Vikings and San Francisco 49ers, it likely also has something to do with the Steelers-Rams game Sunday.
One that ended with a controversial spot from the officials, giving QB Kenny Pickett on a first down on a 4th and 1 sneak that essentially ended the game. Because Rams’ head coach Sean McVay was out of timeouts, and the play took place before the two-minute warning, it could not be booth reviewed or challenged. Thus, the play stood.
In her tweet, she said refs should be fined for poor play calls. It’s an idea shared by many frustrated fans but one that almost certainly will never occur. “Consequences” refs receive for poor officiating usually include not getting playoff and Super Bowl games to work as well as potentially losing their job, a rare in-season occurrence but one that’s happened before.
